The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is warning local governments, emergency management agencies and other organizations receiving federal disaster and emergency preparedness grants about an important deadline coming up Friday, November 6.

The deadline is connected to a planned transition in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s grant management system, which could delay payments and other financial transactions until late December or longer.

According to GEMA, all FEMA grant recipients and organizations receiving funds through other grant recipients must submit outstanding payment requests and other time-sensitive financial paperwork by 5 PM Friday.

FEMA is moving financial management functions from its current FEMA Grants Outcomes system, known as FEMA GO, to the Federal Information Management System.

As part of that transition, FEMA will begin placing its grant systems into a read-only mode shortly after November 20. During that period, grant recipients will be unable to complete grant-related actions or process financial transactions through the existing system.

GEMA warns that transactions submitted after Friday’s deadline will not be processed until late December at the earliest. That timetable could change depending on technical problems or disaster activity.

The announcement is particularly relevant to county governments, municipalities and emergency management agencies that rely on FEMA funding for disaster recovery, hazard mitigation and public safety projects.

Those programs can help communities recover from storm damage, repair public infrastructure and undertake projects designed to reduce damage from future disasters.

While GEMA’s announcement applies statewide, the agency has not identified specific projects in Chattooga County that could be affected by the transition.

GEMA is urging grant recipients with outstanding reimbursement requests or other pending financial matters to submit their paperwork as soon as possible rather than waiting until Friday’s deadline.

Organizations with questions are encouraged to contact their assigned grant specialist or the appropriate grant program office at GEMA.

The deadline is 5 PM Friday, November 6, with the federal system transition beginning later this month.